Abstract
A series of 5-n-alkyl-2(3,7,11-trimethyldodecyl)-3- methylthiophenes (C (sub 21) -C (sub 26) ) which possess a linearly extended phytane skeleton, are reported from northern Apennines marl, bitumens from Jordan and California, and immature oils from Sicily, Utah and China. The C skeletons of the C (sub 24) -C (sub 26) members are unusual since they comprise an isoprenoid and a linear part. This series of compounds probably forms by abiogenic S incorporation into functionalized precursor lipids with similar C skeletons, possibly biosynthesized by halophilic archaebacteria.